{"id":4912,"date":"2026-07-01T05:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T05:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/?p=4912"},"modified":"2026-07-01T05:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T05:12:26","slug":"io-interactive-confirms-layoffs-following-end-of-project-fantasy-publishing-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/io-interactive-confirms-layoffs-following-end-of-project-fantasy-publishing-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"IO Interactive Confirms Layoffs Following End of Project Fantasy Publishing Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATE:<\/strong> A report from Bloomberg<\/strong> je potvrdio da Xbox<\/strong> has ended its publishing partnership with IO Interactive<\/strong> za Project Fantasy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an Xbox spokesperson, Microsoft is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Taking a fresh look at where we invest so we’re focusing on our highest priorities.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The decision comes amid Xbox’s wider restructuring efforts and a broader reassessment of its gaming investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Despite the success of 007 Prva svjetlost<\/strong>, IO Interactive<\/strong> has confirmed that layoffs are taking place at the studio following the end of a publishing partnership tied to its original fantasy IP, Project Fantasy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Danish developer says it remains fully committed to the project, despite losing financial backing from an external partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IO Interactive Confirms Layoffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a statement shared on the studio’s official social media channels, IO Interactive revealed that its relationship with an unnamed publishing partner had come to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, the studio has been forced to restructure, leading to staff reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“A relationship with an external partner on our own IP, Project Fantasy, has come to an end.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It added that the situation carries “short-term consequences,” including difficult staffing decisions, while emphasizing that affected employees will receive support during the transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Fantasy Is Still in Development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although the publishing agreement has ended, IO Interactive stressed that Project Fantasy<\/strong> has not been canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studio reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the new original IP, stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Project Fantasy is a game, a world, and an IP that we absolutely love and remain 100% committed to, now and in the future. This wonderful universe will see the light of day.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

That statement should reassure fans who were concerned the project might have been shelved following the partnership’s collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloomberg Confirms Xbox Was the Publishing Partner<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after IO Interactive’s announcement, Bloomberg<\/strong> reported that Xbox<\/strong> was indeed the external partner referenced by the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft confirmed it has decided to step away from publishing Project Fantasy<\/strong> as part of a broader review of its investment strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Xbox spokesperson said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“We’re taking a fresh look at where we invest so we’re focusing on our highest priorities.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The move aligns with Microsoft’s recent restructuring, which has included layoffs, canceled publishing agreements, and reports of reduced investment in certain third-party projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Xbox Continues to Reshape Its Portfolio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cancellation of the Project Fantasy publishing deal follows a string of major Xbox developments, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Widespread layoffs across Microsoft Gaming<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reports of potential studio closures<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Changes to Game Pass investment strategy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Continued support for select projects such as Hideo Kojima’s OD<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    While Xbox says it is not reducing its overall spending on games, Microsoft has made it clear that it is becoming far more selective about where those investments are directed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For IO Interactive, the immediate challenge will be navigating the loss of a major publishing partner while continuing development of one of its most ambitious original projects to date.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    UPDATE: A report from Bloomberg has confirmed that Xbox has ended its publishing partnership with IO Interactive for Project Fantasy. According to an Xbox spokesperson, Microsoft is: “Taking a fresh look at where we invest so we’re focusing on our highest priorities.” The decision comes amid Xbox’s wider restructuring efforts and a broader reassessment of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_shortscore_rating":"","_shortscore_game":"","_shortscore_summary":"","iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"ohg_news_type":[170],"ohg_game":[],"ohg_company":[184],"ohg_platform":[],"class_list":["post-4912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","ohg_news_type-news","ohg_company-microsoft"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4914,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions\/4914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_news_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_news_type?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_game","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_game?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_company","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_company?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"ohg_platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overhypedgamer.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ohg_platform?post=4912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}